WinUI 3 Preview - June 2023: What's New and What's Next

By The WinUI Team Published: June 15, 2023 Category: Windows / WinUI

Welcome to the June 2023 preview release of WinUI 3! This update brings a host of exciting new features, performance improvements, and bug fixes designed to empower you to build beautiful, modern Windows applications. We're continuously striving to enhance your development experience, and this release is a testament to that commitment.

Key Highlights in this Release

New Controls and Features

We're thrilled to introduce several new controls and capabilities:

DataGrid Enhancements: The DataGrid control has received significant updates, including improved performance for large datasets, new column types, and enhanced editing capabilities.
CommandBar Flyout Improvements: The CommandBar flyout now offers more customization options and better integration with adaptive layouts, making your app's commands more accessible on various screen sizes.
New Animation APIs: We've expanded our animation capabilities with new APIs for smoother transitions and more engaging user experiences.

A glimpse of the enhanced DataGrid control in action.

Performance and Stability

Performance and stability remain our top priorities. This release includes:

Optimized rendering pipelines for faster UI updates.
Reduced memory footprint for core components.
Numerous bug fixes addressing common issues reported by the community.

Getting Started with the Preview

To get started with the latest WinUI 3 preview, ensure you have the latest version of Visual Studio installed. You can then install the WinUI 3 preview packages via NuGet.

Important Note:

This is a preview release. While we've tested it extensively, it may contain bugs or incomplete features. It is not recommended for use in production environments.

For detailed installation instructions and a full list of changes, please refer to the official WinUI documentation:

WinUI 3 Preview Release Notes (June 2023)

Code Example: Using a New Animation

Here's a simple example demonstrating how to use one of the new animation APIs:

            
import Microsoft.UI.Xaml;
import Microsoft.UI.Xaml.Controls;
import Microsoft.UI.Xaml.Media.Animation;

// ... inside a XAML Page or Control

// In C# code-behind:
public void AnimateElement(UIElement element)
{
    var fadeAnimation = new DoubleAnimation
    {
        From = 0.0,
        To = 1.0,
        Duration = new Duration(TimeSpan.FromMilliseconds(500))
    };

    var storyboard = new Storyboard();
    storyboard.Children.Add(fadeAnimation);
    Storyboard.SetTargetProperty(fadeAnimation, "Opacity");
    Storyboard.SetTarget(fadeAnimation, element);

    storyboard.Begin();
}
            
            

What's Next?

We're actively working on the next stable release of WinUI 3. Expect further enhancements to existing controls, more platform integration, and continued focus on developer productivity. Your feedback is invaluable in shaping the future of WinUI. Please share your thoughts and report any issues on our feedback forum.

Thank you for being part of the WinUI community!